Bite The Flesh
by The.Clown.That.Smiles
Summary: Set during the movie. It goes the same. Michael is initiated into the gang, but what happened behind closed doors? Max didn't expect one of the boys to defy his orders and have Sam as a yummy snack. But does it turn out like that?
1. Chapter 1

Rating – M

Pairings. Marko/Sam

**Warnings.** Slash, lemons, horror, blood, gore, strong language, and Violence.

Could be more. There's so many it get's hard to remember what else to put. I'll make sure to come back and add more, if I remember something.

**Plot -** Set during the movie. It goes the same. Michael is initiated into the gang but what happened behind closed doors? Max didn't expect one of the boys to defy his orders and have Sam as a yummy snack. But does it turn out like that? Read to find out!

Right, I know there are a lot of things going on like this but this idea has been brewing for months. I noticed that lots of people love Marko and Sam pairings and I find that normally people do one-shots or their stories are never finished. Well, heads up boys and girls, I plan to continue this with a lot of help from

Dun da Dun, Dun da Dun...

**Sick Twisted Mind.** Yeah I told her about the idea, so we started forming a plot, brought our ideas together and created this story. So if you're kind enough to review, please give her as much credit as you'd give me. It was 50/50 with us.

It has come to my attention that you are not allowed to put lyrics to songs in fics within this site. So I was told...and I will have to change this sometime.

* * *

Chapter one

I get up, and nothing gets me down.  
I like to jump, and then go round and round  
And I know, just how it feels.  
You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real  
Oh can't you see me standing here,  
I'm getting ready for a soccer scene, I ain't the worst that you've seen.  
Oh can't you see what I mean ?

''Turn that off!''

Paul flinched at the tone of David's voice and it followed him as it echoed around the cave. Marko looked up from the comic he had placed on his lap and grinned when Paul's face turned to surprise and then slight hurt. Jumping up off the couch, he grabbed the rock box and ran to the other side of the cave. David's eyes glinted dangerously when he flashed him a grin. Dwayne watched the scene calmly, a shake of the heading leaving him when Paul ran away from David again. His head banged to the music as he turned the volume up. Marko let out a small laugh when David's face changed.

''PM Sing or what,'' Paul said with a wide grin and winked at Marko. ''It's just a song David. Relax a little and have a spliff''

His response was to have David storm towards him. Paul's response back was to run away from him, turn the music up, and sing loudly.

''Might as well jump. Jump! Might as well jump. Go ahead, jump. Jump ! Go ahead, jump.''

His voice picked up so he was shouting, his feet kicked over things as he practically skipped around the cave, small laughs leaving him when David's face would darken even more. Why he was in a pissy over a song was beyond him. David knew Paul always listened to music when he was in the cave or if he was having a spliff, or when he wanted to have a good night. Which was every night, but what was wrong with that? Marko was allowed his birds and comics, Dwayne was allowed his books, and David was allowed anything, so why couldn't' he have his music?

''Because you've been playing the same crappy song for over an hour,'' David said calmly, but his eyes told a different story. ''Can't you change the thing?''

The grin vanished from Pauls' face and a scowl replaced the blank look. Crappy? He thought Jump was crappy? Was David stupid or completely deaf? Paul was going for stupid. How the hell could he call Jump crap? It was the beast of all beasts, the song was like liquid fire in his veins. The song was better than sex it was better... Paul took that back. Nothing beat Blood and Sex, not even rock and roll, no matter how much he loved it. It was close though, his music came third on that list and for David to call his taste in music crap... he was practically saying that... well it wasn't on. Okay, Paul thought Jim Morrison was... he liked it... but it... he just... Well... alright he thought it was shit. If he was completely fucked out of his head he'd chill out in the cave and happily listen to it when David played it, but other than that, it wasn't his music. He wouldn't tell that to David though. He worshipped the guy, like Paul worshipped hot girls, music, and other stuff.

Marko appeared in front of him. His face was blank as David stared between the two. Paul tried not to grin when he locked eyes with his. Let's have some fun. He agreed with Marko's silent message. David was in need of cheering up. No, he wasn't. The guy was hard to please. And the guys sometimes said it was like looking after a child with Paul. Ha. When was the last time David had smiled or laughed. He was far too serious. David was the one who was hard to please. Sometimes Paul felt like he acted like a dad to them instead of a brother, a leader, and a friend. Paul was the one who needed cheering up.

''Turn that song off, Paul,'' Marko said seriously and took the joint from behind his ear. ''If not I'll break the thing.''

His lips twitched, and with a shrug he turned the song off. ''Satisfied people?''

Just as David was about sit down, Paul put on a different song, something that not even one of them liked, but David hated it the most. Too much too young blasted from the rock box and Paul found himself dancing to it, despite his hate for it. Marko snickered behind his hand and began to chew on his thumb when David slowly turned around. Flashing him a wide grin and a wink, Paul turned it up to the loudest it could go, and then began to sing along to it, but failing completely.

''Don't sing a song you can't sing. It sounds like a cat is being tied up on a fence by its nuts''

Paul laughed at Dwayne's remark. He could be funny when he wanted to be. He Paul agreed but he didn't stop. He tried not to laugh when David's eyes changed colour. It was funny to see the reaction he got out of him. It was always a calm look with David, even when he was pissed. It didn't help that he hadn't fed in over three nights. The song Paul was playing wasn't helping his mood whatsoever. What could Paul say? He didn't know how to be serious even when he wanted to be. Plus, it was something he couldn't help himself by doing, even when he got hurt. Pissing him off was a funny thing, but sometimes Paul didn't know when to stop.

''Sing with me, David,'' Paul shouted and began to walk around the fountain. ''This song is such a beast. Beats Jim Morrison any day.''

Shaking his head, Dwayne picked up a book, and took the joint off Marko when he sat down beside him.

''Think he might be taking it a little too far'' Marko smiled.

''His own problem,'' Dwayne muttered, keeping his eyes on the book. ''You don't help either.''

Marko flashed an innocent look, that grin still playing on his lips. ''I'm not doing anything, it's all Paul.''

''All Paul'' Dwayne said in a deadpan voice. ''It's always just Paul.''

Bringing his feet up onto the fountain, Marko leant his chin on his knees and watched Paul run around the cave, an unhappy David following him. He laughed when Paul was tackled to the floor, the rock box flying across the cave.

''My... you bastard,'' Paul said and looked in disbelief at his precious stereo. His once precious stereo.

''I said to turn it off,'' David spoke calmly. ''But you had to keep trying my patience.''

Jumping up, with full speed he charged at David and Marko laughed when he was thrown to the floor again. Dwayne's just shook his head, but his lips twitched slightly. Growling he stood up and sauntered towards David's wheelchair. Picking up his box of cigarettes, he tipped all of the cigarettes out so they fell to floor, and then brought his foot down on them, ripping them to complete pieces. The grin vanished from Marko's face and Dwayne put the book down, feeling his need to step in at any time soon. David looked at Paul calmly but everyone began to get unsettled. Nobody dared to touch David's cigarettes. So much as trying to take one would cost a break of the hand.

He couldn't help it even though the situation had turned to complete seriousness. A laugh left Marko when Paul was hit in the face. David flexed his black gloved hands and with that same calm look, hit Paul again. It turned to chaos after that. Stepping in, when David hit Paul again and again, Dwayne pushed the two apart, but only to get a fist in his face. Accidental by Paul who was trying to get at David, but without thinking Dwayne hit Paul back. Fists started flying everywhere then. Things were smashed as they pushed and punched each other about. With that same grin still on his face, Marko stepped in. Snarling, face shifted, Paul charged at Dwayne, and in the process violently pushing aside Marko, who fell to the floor, his hands landing on a deep piece of glass from a broken bottle. David just stood watching the scene with amusement. Instead of Paul getting his cheering up, they had cheered David up instead.

Eyes hardening, Marko collided into the two. All three landed on the floor and with deep snarls leaving them, they began to hit each other. Picking up half of a broken cigarette off the floor-luckily the tip was unscathed-David lit it up and laughed louder when Paul bit down on Marko's hand. David came to a stop in front of the three. A leg shot out, tripping him up, and he fell to the floor as well, his cigarette getting lost in the process.

The night ended with blood spilled, things smashed, bite and scratch marks all over them, all four unhappy, and more hungry than they had felt.

* * *

Setting his comics on his bed, Sam glanced around the room, a disgusted look coming onto his face when his eyes landed on a stuffed animal hung up on the wall. Why out of all the places in the world had they moved to Santa Carla? Why couldn't have they gotten their own place? Living with grandpa wasn't something Sam was warming to. His weird and creepy obsession with taxidermy wasn't something he found interesting. In fact it freaked the teen out, especially when no matter where he went, dozens of eyes stared and followed him. It was even worse when grandpa offered to make some stuffed animals for Sam. The teen tried not to shout out no. The house itself had nothing that interested him either. And why couldn't his mother acknowledge all the 'Missing' posters throughout the town? Did she not care if he went missing? Almost immediately, Sam felt guilty. His mother loved him; he was well aware. She never did something if she thought he or Michael could be hurt by it. By why move here!

"Sam?" 'Speak of the devil,' the teen thought as his mother walked into his room.

"Yeah mom?" he asked, turning away from his comics and angry thoughts.

"How are you settling in sweetie?" She asked, sliding Sam's comics over to take a seat on the bed.

Sam took a look at the animal mounted on his wall and repressed the urge to shudder. "No T.V..." he murmured.

"What was that?" Lucy asked, leaning towards her son.

"Nothing," Sam lied. "What did you need?"

Lucy placed a look of fake-hurt onto her face. "I can't come into my son's room just to tell him I love him?"

"Not unless you're looking for something out of it." Sam said with a chuckle and grin.

"Well," Lucy sighed and Sam looked up.

"Well," Lucy sighed and Sam looked up.

He didn't think she was actually looking for something!

"Michael wants to go out to the boardwalk and I know that you're not looking forward to living here, but maybe if you'd go out, you'd find some friends or find something you enjoy," she continued with another sigh.

"Uh...well." Well what? What was he doing right now? Nothing! And if he was going to be living here, he may as well get a feel of the place to make sure not to get lost in the future. Besides, saying yes would give him an excellent opportunity to get the hell away from these creepy little no-longer-living-and-breathing-just-stuffed animals everywhere in the house.

"Sure," Sam said and shrugged as his mother gave him a light hug, murmured a "Thank you" and left.

Sam stretched and hopped down the steps to meet Michael in the front room, who wasn't looking too thrilled.

"Aww, what's wrong Mikey?" Sam cooed and then chuckled quietly.

"This is supposed to be my night out and I have to drag along my fourteen year old brother?" Michael muttered in slight annoyance, but a smirk was present on his face.

"I'm gonna be fifteen in two months!"

"Whatever, let's go."

***  
Forty-five minutes later, after arriving to listen to music for a few minutes, Michael had set his eyes out on some girl, and Sam was left alone. Not that either had a problem with separating. In fact, Sam actually preferred it that way.

He wandered around the boardwalk, scanning stores, booths, and food that looked like you would need your stomach pumped afterwards if you dared to have so much as a bite of it. He sighed and turned in the direction Michael had left to go find his brother, but something caught his eyes very quickly.

Sam nearly ran into the dimly lit building when he saw the shelves of comic books from his previous point on the boardwalk. He looked around and smiled when he saw a classic. Superman #775 "What's so funny about Truth, Justice & The American Way?" Sam recited under his breath gently. This was good. This reminded him of home. His old comic shop had the same comics and everything felt familiar.

Sam felt uneasy. Something was watching him. How ironic. He left the house to get away from those creepy little creature eyes and even this situation felt more familiar than the comic itself.

Sam looked up to see a rugged looking boy with a red bandana around his head to match his shirt staring him down. On his other side, a boy with olive-toned skinned and dark hair was doing the same thing. Sam suddenly felt the urge to run back the house and hug all the weird taxidermy animals.

Sam walked towards the boy in red and put on his tough act as he sensed the other behind him.

"Got a problem, boys?"

"Just scoping your civilian wardrobe?"

Sam almost smiled. He knew he couldn't be the only person to have his taste in clothing!

"Pretty cool, huh?" He asked with confidence.

"For a fashion victim," the dark-haired boy said in a deep voice.

Sam felt his cheeks tinged. One of them mentioned something about a frozen yogurt stand or something, but Sam didn't care. If these guys worked in a comic shop - or at least hung out in one - maybe it wasn't too late to score some points.

"Actually, I'm looking for a Batman number 14." He said. Only four in existence and Sam couldn't wait to find one. The boys nearly quoted his thoughts, but he had to correct the dark-haired one with five in existence to four. Sam was arrogant when it came to comics, lightly criticized them on the placing of their comics (when he wasn't interrupted, it confirmed his belief of the two working in the store) and noticed their lips twitching. Uh-oh. Maybe he lost points here.

"Where are you from, krypton?" Red-shirt asked.

"Phoenix actually."

Red-shirt moved away from him, somewhere farther back in the store and Sam silently swore at himself for talking so much. He probably annoyed the other away.

"But lucky me we moved" Sam paused. Half because he forgot the name of the city, half for dramatic effect, "here." Sam watched as the Dark-haired lips twitched again up into a sneer.

Sam felt something pressed into his chest and looked down to see a comic. "Take this," Red shirt commanded.

Sam looked at it. A vampire comic? "I don't like horror comics," he told them. And he didn't. He read one in fifth grade and altered between sleeping in Michael's and his parents' bed for the next week.

"You'll like this one Mr. Phoenix." Red-shirt said calmly and Sam flinched a little at the nick-name. "It could save your life." Sam snickered because Red-shirt sounded serious and he looked like he could throw a damn good punch. But he didn't have to worry about a fight. At least not one with himself involved.

A bunch of jerks up front grabbed as many comics as they could and took off and after a few moments, Red-shirt and Dark-haired were hot on their heels down the boardwalk.

Sam flipped the comic over with his hands just to have something to do. He didn't really have anywhere to go. He had no friends, no hang-out spots, Michael was gone and Sam had no ride home until he found him.

So Sam waited in the comic book shop. Not for the boys to return so they could...have more of their _friendly chat_, but only so no one would steal anything else. Not that anyone was aware he was watching, but he supposed he could chase them down if he saw someone with a comic in hand without paying. Partly because he had nowhere to go and partly to just do a good-deed of some sort. Maybe he could make _friends _with the boys. Or at least have someone he knew (and didn't hate him).

After a few minutes, Sam walked towards the front to keep an eye out for Red-shirt and Dark-haired. He busied himself with a few comics toward the front, but relaxed when he saw the others come back (with nothing in their hands).

The boys walked into the store, but only Dark-haired stayed in front to say something.

"You don't have to pay for that, if that's what you're waiting for."

Pay for what? Sam looked at the comic. The Vampire comic. The one that could 'save his life'.

"No, I uh, stayed behind to make sure," Sam tried to explain, but Dark-haired turned around to follow the other boy.

_'He's just mad about not getting the thieves.'_ Sam told himself. He didn't bother explaining or saying goodbye, the two probably just wanted to be left alone right now.

Sam sighed and walked out back onto the boardwalk and looked around clueless. What now?

Sit down and read the comic? Buy some food? _'The food that looks like you'll need to have your stomach pumped? Besides, with what money?'_

He felt like a lost kid at Cedar Point. No one to talk to, hungry, cold. Lost.

Sam's musings were stopped when he felt a hard body crash into his.


	2. Chapter 2

Right, here is the next chapter. Apologies for the wait, we do have a life outside of FF. Now, this was pretty hard to write and we're trying to keep it at a slow and steady pace. So there will be no rushing with this. Expecting hotness between the two ;) you'll have to wait for that. After all, we want to make this story realistic and believable for you to read. Be patient people.

* * *

Chapter two

The impact caught the teen off guard, and he went crashing to the floor, landing straight on his backside. The comic skidded across the ground, but Sam was in shock to make a move to grab it. Someone knelt down and his eyes landed on a pale hand, covered in a black fingerless glove. The person laughed when they picked up the comic and Sam found himself scowling slightly. You think I wanted the comic? He thought bitterly.

''You should watch where you're going, kid.''

The scowl deepened and he looked up. It vanished instantly when he was met with a grinning face. All he could say was, wow. His eyes had gone to the person's jacket, and Sam couldn't help but stare at it. He found it unusual, but freaking awesome as he loved things with bright colours. It wasn't only that. Every inch of the thing was covered in patches, patches of all different words and symbols. It was so bright and catchy, Sam was sure he was going to go blind by just looking at. He waited for that shining light, the sort you'd see when a diamond catches under a lamp or from the sun. He thought the thing was bright, brighter than the clothes the teen himself wore. A hand came in front of his face and he blinked in surprise. Eyes went back to the stranger's face. They raised a brow, that grin still on their lips. The hand was removed.

''Are you going to stay down there all night?''

His voice was teasing and amused. A chilling feeling suddenly came to the teen. The boy standing in front of Sam, truthfully, gave him the creeps. Maybe it was the Cheshire cat smile on his lips or that innocent look he wore. Either way, something unnerved him. Eyes went to the boy's hair and Sam found himself trying his hardest not to laugh. Weird again, but cool. Blonde, short and curly at the front, and long in curls at the back. He wanted to ask him if it was fake hair. It looked like it. He looked clean, but from the look of his clothes, mainly his t-shirt, the boy hadn't heard of washing before. He moved closer towards him and Sam found himself wrinkling his nose slightly. A sickly sweet sugary smell hit his nostrils, along with copper pennies, the smell of burnt wood, and the smell of what Sam was sure was pot. He grabbed the comic from the boy and surprise suddenly came onto his face when he was roughly pulled up from the ground. One hand was removed but the other stayed on his shoulder. Their eyes met, and that unsettling feeling came again. Where was Mike when he needed him? Chasing that girl somewhere. Probably stalking her Sam thought and took a step back away from the stranger. Gypsy, the boy reminded Sam of a gypsy. His clothes were like it. Seeing as he didn't know his name, that was what he was going to call him. The gypsy.

Be careful, Sam, Santa Carla is full of very unusual people. He recited his mother's words. Maybe she was right.

Creasing down his shirt and glancing at the boy once more, Sam departed without so much as a goodbye or an apologise for banging into him. All he had to do now was find Micheal. But before he could think of deciding where to start, something else caught his eyes. The arcades. He all but ran towards them, not knowing someone was following close behind. Everything was brightly lit and colourful. Music and other sounds hit his ears as he passed pinball and slot machines, redemption games, and claw cranes. The air was stifling and Sam felt himself grow hot and sticky. It was claustrophobic for the teen. Bodies were crammed around machines, the air smelt like human sweat and mouldy food. He coughed as he walked past a group of teen's, who were smoking cigarettes, thick smoke clouding around them so he found it hard to see their faces. An excited look came onto his face when he spotted a vacated machine but he stopped halfway towards it. He had no money. Only one option. Find Micheal and get some. Turning around he came face to face with the gypsy.

''You dropped this.'' Holding out his hand, he dangled an object between his fingers. Sam's key ring.

Sam blinked in surprise and felt his pockets. He sighed in relief as he looked at the object ''Thanks.'' He took it off him. ''I don't what I'd do if I'd lost that. Took me years to find. Rare as anything''

The gypsy nodded. ''Good thing I found it.''

He walked away then, and, Sam, glancing once more around the arcades decided to look for Micheal. It didn't take long. After ten minutes of walking, he had come to a much quieter part of the boardwalk where Michael was. He stood a little to the side, his eyes on something in the crowd. Sam came to a stand next to him and followed his line of sight. Four boys sat on bikes, along with the girl from the concert on the back of the one, and a little boy also positioned on one. His eyes landed on one of the boys and surprise came onto his face. The gypsy stared between the two with a blank look, and Sam watched him start up his bike.

His eyes went over all four. Next to the gypsy, on a much smaller bike, sat a long blonde haired guy. A wide grin came onto his face when he slapped the gypsy on the back. The words rock star popped into Sam's head. His appearance looked exactly like that.

Eyes moving over him, they landed on someone different. Long black, shiny, hair, olive skinned, leather jacket with no t-shirt, showing his bare chest off to the world...the guy, for some weird reason, reminded Sam of some sort of warrior, like a hunter. His eyes were blank, completely hollow, and his face was voided with any emotion as he looked at Sam, the same look on his face when his eyes went to Micheal. His lips moved as he looked behind his shoulder. The child sat behind him, a look of slight boredom on his face. The last person seemed to be the leader of the five. He smirked when the girl turned to look at them, a half smile on her face.

''Come on, she stiffed ya,'' Sam smiled, his voice containing laughter.

The others laughed quietly at his comment.

Sam walked away from them then, leaving Micheal to the stare after them as they raced down the boardwalk.

Oo

Marko could spot those bright colours from two miles away, and not just because of his excellent sight from his vampirism. It was mostly white, but had flashes of all the colours in the rainbow, and some to not even have names yet. But as the young boy came closer to their little group, with his brother and Star, Marko's concentration was drawn from his shirt to the conversation.

"Want to get something to eat?" Ahh, so _this_ was the boy who was to be Star's first kill.

"Okay," Star replied. She looked happy, much happier than she had ever been on David's arm.

"Hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks _so_ much for remembering I'm here! I was sure you would forget I was here and then leave me all alone, but how wrong I was!"

Star jumped up, like she had forgotten the boy was there, but the older boy wasn't shocked. "Sam, don't you have something better to do than act like a lap-dog?"

_Sam._ The name lingered on Marko's tongue. He found it fitting for his next meal. Speaking of meals, Marko was getting hungry, more so from the scent of the boy. It was something different from the usual sweat, cotton candy, sea water smell from the rest of the trashies that occupied Santa Carla.

But _Sam_ didn't have a chance to speak. David made their presence known.

"Where you going, Star?"

Star jumped again, but tried to remain calm and in control. "For a ride. This is Micheal," she introduced him. Not good. He was to be her first kill and she was trying to hang out with him and introduce him like he was going to be around for awhile.

"And Sam!" The boy piped up, trying not to be ignored.

She got ready to board the bike, but David simply called her name and she backed off. She took her place on the back of David's bike while Micheal and Sam wore equal looks of confusion. They didn't understand (and probably wouldn't live to see) the power David had over Star. Marko usually wondered what made her so powerless to him, but honestly, he didn't really care.

"You know where Hudson's Bluff is overlooking the point?" David asked Micheal. Marko noticed Star's immediate reaction of a paling face and tightening her hands around David's waist.

Marko smirked. He knew what was coming next. They would see if Micheal would stop before riding off the cliff, and if he did, he'd get to 'join' the group and be a member for the rest of the few days he lived. He wouldn't be with them for long. It wouldn't even be that. The only thing he would be was a lifeless corpse in their home, from the hands of Star. And if Micheal went, maybe little Sam would follow and Marko's hunger would cease. He'd drag him to a quiet part of the cave, and taste...

"I can't beat your bike," Micheal said as if it was obvious (which it was).

"You can't take your little brother!" Sam cried, drawing attention to himself from everybody. Marko chuckled under his breath. Maybe he was so attracted to Sam's scent because they were so alike. The same crazy, bright clothing, blonde hair, comic readers, and the refusal to be ignored.

"Then stay here," Micheal chided with his brother's thick-headedness as to not realize the option of simply not going.

"And be alone again!" Sam snapped, throwing his hands in the air. "I almost got lost yesterday! And I don't have any money if I get hungry or wanna buy something!"

"I'll stay with him," Marko volunteered with a sultry voice. Everyone turned away from Sam to look at him. Paul gave his odd chuckle, and drummed his hands on his knees.

oo

Micheal's eyes narrowed as he stared at Marko, and then he shook his head. ''No. Go home, Sam.''

''I'm not going home,'' Sam shouted and crossed his arms. ''Do you think I want grandpa making me more stuffed animals? Hey, Sam, come here and watch this...'' He imitated grandpa's voice. ''I don't want to see him raking out guts from an animal, Mike.''

The others laughed.

''Tough,'' Micheal responded.

''As much as this is entertaining to watch-Both turned to look at the leader- I've had enough of the boardwalk for one night. Are you coming Micheal?''

''Come with us, Mikey'' The long blonde haired said with a wink.

Marko got off his bike, and nodded when the leader glanced towards him. ''I'll stay with the kid''

''I'm no kid,'' Sam muttered in slight annoyance, causing Marko to smile. The leader looked between all three, waiting for Micheal's answer. The other two watched in silence, the one smiling widely and the other staring at them with a blank face.

The gypsy grinned in amusement when he came to a stand next to Sam. ''It's no problem with me. If you want me to stay with the kid, I will.''

''Again with the kid'' Sam said and threw his hands in the air. ''You're not much older than me.

Marko's grin intensified. Sam wanted to ask if it hurt to smile so much. He didn't think he'd seen the gypsy without a grin on his lips. It unnerved him and he didn't want this boy to stay with him. What was Mike playing at? Couldn't he be treated as an adult for one night? He had no plans on going home yet. Grandpa would be in his taxidermy room, and Sam knew he'd call for him to go in there. Those dead animals would stare at him, and then grandpa would drag a seat next to his working table, and Sam would hold in the vomit whilst he would cut open one of them. A shudder ran threw him when he pictured those animals laid down on the table, long gashes along their stomach, and blood and guts spilled everywhere. Nope, nope, nope! He wasn't going home.

''Hey... no.'' Sam scowled when a hand grabbed his arm. ''I am not going home, Mike, and I don't need anyone to look after me. I'm no baby.''

The leader watched in silence, amusement colouring his face, but Sam detected impatience in his eyes. Yeah, he agreed. It was annoying seeing two people argue over nothing. It didn't help when some people stared at the eight when they walked by. It didn't brand the boy's, ''cool'' so Sam thought.

''Fine, stay here.'' Micheal said with a sigh. ''Around people, Sam, I don't want you going to the beach or away from the public eye''

''Yeah, yeah.'' Sam waved him away, hiding the disappointment. He did want to go with them. He was curious as to who was going to win the race, and he wanted to know what they'd do afterwards. Hang around, go back to the boardwalk? The boys were wild, it was written all over them, and Sam could see that. Aside from being curious, he was slightly worried for Micheal.

The sound of them speeding away broke him out of his thoughts and he watched Micheal give a glance around before he rode down the steps, and sped away into the night. There shouting and hollering was heard even when they were over twenty feet away. Now he was left alone with the gypsy.

As if the gypsy heard Sam's thoughts he spoke.

''I'm Marko''

Sam looked at him. ''Better than calling you...'' He stopped just in time and ignored Marko's questioning gaze. Better than calling you the gypsy he finished silently. Marko he thought and repeated it again. Marko, Marko, Marko. It suited him somehow.

Giving him one last look, Marko began to walk towards the crowd and Sam had no other option but to follow. He didn't have to stay with Marko, not really. But now he had offered to stay with him, it would have been rude to leave, considering Sam was sure he wanted to go with his friends. Why he offered to hang around with him was a mystery.

They found a vacated purple bench, and Marko sat down on the top of it. Sam watched him take a box of cigarettes out from his jacket pocket. White slender fingers ripped the cellophane off the box, and he watched as he carefully took one out of it. His movements were careful; almost as if he was worried he was going to hurt the box somehow. Weird Sam thought.

Sam knew Marko didn't like him. It was obvious. After all, they were two completely different people. Marko was in some sort of gang, he seemed the type to like trouble, and Sam was the complete opposite. He'd never taken drugs, never had drunk in his life, but from the smell of Marko, he had. He knew what weed smelt like, grandpa grew it, and it was all over Marko. Why did Marko offer to stay with him? It wasn't much of a big deal, but there had to be a reason. If you didn't like someone, if you had nothing in common with each other, you didn't bother with them. Sam knew that, he saw it like that. What was in it for this boy? Was he keeping him distracted for some reason, whilst his brother hung around with a group of wild, maybe even dangerous boys? Sam knew Micheal didn't want him going because it was embarrassing to have 'you're younger brother' with you.

At home, Micheal sometimes hung around with Sam, but once they were outside, at the boardwalk, they were strangers. It didn't bother Sam, not really. He didn't want to hang around with Micheal whilst he stalked and flirted with some pretty girl anyway.

There was something off with the boy who sat by him. He still creeped Sam out, despite him, probably in his eyes, being friendly towards him. His grin, for unknown reasons, sent chills down the teen's spine. His eyes drew Sam in. They were full of wisdom and hidden secrets, secrets that people would want to unlock. He made Sam curious, other people too most likely. The look he gave said, ''I have something to tell you, but guess what it is''

But it seemed fake somehow, like a lie. Almost as if he wanted people to see it, so they would talk to him, approach him. But why? Why did he want to do that? The boy was a mystery and Sam felt more curious than to begin with. The grin wasn't the only thing that freaked the teen out. It was when he stared. It was so intent, Sam was sure even Marko didn't realise he was doing it. Not only that, it was the fact that it honestly looked like he wanted to beat the teen up.

Sam's thoughts were broke when he inhaled smoke. He coughed and moved the farthest away from Marko, who was watching the crowd with a slight hungry look. He frowned and watched him closely. More specifically, he was staring at people with that look. A hungry look, as if he wanted to, like he stared at Sam, beat them up. But this was more. It actually looked like he wanted to hurt them badly or something.

Definitely creepy Sam thought. Something is wrong with him.

Marko's eyes suddenly shot to his. ''You hungry?''

Are you? Sam thought and gave the crowd a sweep over, before meeting his eyes to find he was grinning widely. What was up with him?

''No, I'm fine'' Sam said with that same frown on his face.

''Liar'' Marko grinned, but his face was slightly serious. ''If you want something, I can get you it, Sam. It's no problem.''

''I'm fine thanks'' Sam answered again, and brought his feet up onto the bench. He wasn't that hungry, he was completely bored out of his mind more than anything. He wasn't going to moan, it was a hell of a lot better than being at home, but still. He had no money for food, or to go on rides, (not that he did much) or buy something. This was a boardwalk, it was suppose to keep you entertained, not make you die of complete boredom.

Sam blinked as Marko jumped off the bench. Without sparing him a glance, he walked away. He left? Sam sighed quietly. It didn't surprise him. There was more interesting things to do than hang around with, as Marko saw it, a kid. Or, as he was sure he had said, look after him. Grabbing the rolled up comic from his jeans pocket, he creased it down and looked at the cover. Normally he would never treat a comic like that, it was always with care, but this comic was something he didn't buy or collect. The words, Vampire's everywhere, jumped up at him, and Sam looked at the picture. A demon, sucking the life force away from a girl. Sharp razor fangs, blood, and crosses were seen. Those boys who gave him it, another comic now, were definitely whacked. Vampires are real. Sam laughed inwardly as he remembered there warnings. His theories were right. They sniffed too much newsprint.

A hand came down on his shoulder and he jumped a mile. Someone laughed loudly. He turned away from the comic and his eyes met blue-green ones.

''Oh, I thought you weren't coming back''

Marko handed him a can of coke and rummaged in a brown paper bag. ''Why wouldn't I? I was getting you food. Chinese good?''

''What? Oh, er, yeah.'' He took the carton of him and peered inside. ''Noodles? Is that...''

''Chow Mein noodles'' Marko answered and handed him some sticks.

Sam shook his head. ''I'll eat them how they are. Urm, does Chow Mein have meat in it?''

Marko looked at him. ''Why, something wrong with it?''

''I don't eat meat. It's disgusting''

Marko laughed. ''Rest assured there isn't any meat in it. Normally there is, but I asked them not to put any in. She does that for me, considering I'm one of her top customers. He suddenly shook his head, a small grin playing on his lips. ''How can you not know what Chow Mein is?''

''Chinese isn't my type of food.'' Sam brought the carton to his nose and took a sniff. Crinkling his nose, he rested it on his lap. ''Mom always cooks us real meals''

Marko nodded and took a bite into a spring roll. Sam watched as he chewed on it slowly, almost like he was resisting the urge to spit it out.

Ten minutes later, the rubbish was thrown into the bin, and, a now full, Sam began to read his comic, all the while feeling eyes on him. ''You know, considering I don't like Chinese that was good. Thanks''

He was feeling uncomfortable, and talk seemed the best way to ease him, only he didn't know what to say.

''No problem.'' Marko said.

Sam heard the sound of a match being struck across a box, and the smell of smoke followed after.

''You're a big lover of comics.'' It wasn't a question.

''Nothing wrong with comics'' Sam answered, keeping his eyes on the page

''Comics are good.''

Sam looked up at hearing those words. Marko liked comics. He didn't seem the type, but then again Sam didn't know him.

The comic was taken out of his hands, and Marko blinked when he looked at what it was. His eyes sparkled in silent laughter. ''All but this.''

He looked up at Sam with a wide grin. ''Vampires? Didn't think this would be the sort of thing someone like yourself would like.''

Sam wanted to answer with a, you don't know me, so therefore you don't know what I like. The answer came out different.

''They're not. Truth is I hate vampires they're creepy as anything. I hate any horror comics.''

Marko laughed quietly.

''But crazy people give them to me'' Sam finished with a shake of the head. Definitely crazy people.

''Beware the vampire's of Santa Carla'' Sam said with a laugh.

Marko's expression changed suddenly, causing the teen to cease his laughing, A frown, once again that night, appeared on his face. ''What?''

Marko suddenly grinned and took a deep long drag on his cigarette. ''Nothing. Which crazy people said that?''

''I didn't say crazy people said anything'' Sam answered, getting a look off Marko.

oo

The kid was good Marko thought and searched Sam's waiting face. He knew someone had said it. He knew more specifically who had said it. Sam thought quite loudly. The frog brothers. He knew who they were as well. Two kids who lived in a comic store, and ran it for their folks who were stoned twenty four seven. He had seen them, watching him, when he went into the store. Their eyes followed his every movement when he would browse around. A small grin would come onto his lips, but inside he wanted to crush their skulls with his bare hands. Staring wasn't a thing Marko took to lightly, especially coming from some wannabe slayers. Oh yes, he had read their minds as well, and more than anything, it amused him. The one who wore a red bandana needed some good scaring, and Marko could easily give it to him. No, he could, but he wouldn't. They were kids, and it was something Marko didn't see on the menu.

Accidents had happened before, but he never killed kids intentionally. If he was starving, he'd eat anything. That was the way it went, but aside from that, kids was something he didn't see as food. But Sam Emerson, despite him being a kid in Marko's eyes, was seen as food. Marko couldn't help it; it was one of those things. His scent was the thing that made him break his top rule of feeding.

''I naturally assumed'' Marko answered without thinking. His mind was on other things. How to get the kid away from the boardwalk. He doubted Sam would willingly go on the back of his bike or say yes to going somewhere outside of the public eye. He seemed the sort to abide by what his brother said. The hunger rose within as he contemplated on what to do.

''What?'' Sam said, pushing away those thoughts from his head. Confusion coloured his face.

''About the crazy people'' Marko said vaguely.

Sam stood up, snapping the vampire completely out of his thoughts.

He looked uncomfortable. ''I'm going to go, now. See you around I guess.''

''Leaving so soon'' Marko said calmly. A genuine, friendly, smile came onto his face. He knew he was the cause of the teen's discomfort, and breathing in deeper, his fear as well. It sang to him, and it made him hunger for him more, but he couldn't let Sam get away.

''If you want to do something, Sam, tell me. I'm open for anything. Other than the rides of course, they become boring after going on them so many times.

''Er...no... See you around''

''You're not going anywhere.'' He locked eyes with the teen. ''Sit back down Sam, forget about your discomfort, and relax.''

He watched as Sam's eyes turned dazed and confused. It was almost looked like he was on a high. It didn't suit the teen, but it was funny to see. The busy crowd wouldn't notice this little exchange, or wouldn't think anything by it. It was a good advantage for a vampire to have the power to control human minds, half vampires too. Especially when Marko liked to feed on a certain someone, and keep them around for a few days, until they became a full snack. He didn't want that with Sam. He wanted him in one big go. He wanted to drink his blood until there was no more, unlike taking some and making him forget, then only to repeat the process again. With that same look in his eyes, Sam sat back down, looking as comfortable as possible. He wasn't as tense as he was before, and he didn't shift in discomfort.

Sam stood up again. ''I'm going for a walk on the beach. Are you coming?''

Marko stood up, and lit up another cigarette. Perfect. He had the teen right where he wanted him. Vulnerable, away from people, and more than anything, completely relaxed and calm around the vampire. The hunger roared inside of him now, and it threatened to be unleashed at any second. This hunger was torture.

They walked along beach. Walked and walked until they came right to the bottom, away from the people partying and dancing in the sand, far enough away so nobody could see them. The wind was surprisingly strong that night and a shiver ran through the teen as he leant against a tree. The lights in the distance, so bright from the boardwalk, gave some source of light so they weren't completely in the dark. The sand crunched beneath his feet as Marko walked towards the water, keeping just enough distance away from it as it moved towards him. The tip of the cigarette glowed a fiery red in the dark as Marko brought it to his lips, and sucked on it hard. The smoke clouded around him like a veil, almost like a snake circling itself around his body. Sam just stood there, leaning against the tree, watching him with that same calm look.

He could get the teen to do whatever the hell he wanted him to do, in the position he was in. Telling him to go out for a swim or beat someone up, the teen would do as Marko told him to do.

He'd jump off a bridge if those words passed his lips and when he would stare into his eyes deeply. None of these things were on his mind. Killing him was, and even though he was going to at any moment, he didn't make a move.

Throwing the cigarette into the water, he turned towards Sam. Sam still held that glazed look in his eyes when Marko's face changed. Marko was far too hungry to play cat and mouse. It was a shame; he would have been fun to play with.

With lighting speed, he appeared in front of Sam. Hands went to his hair, roughly pulling on them tight when he tilted the boy's head to the side, exposing his milky skin. The pulse jumped beneath the skin, and he could feel the blood rushing beneath it as he pressed his lips to his neck.

_Marko, where are you?_

He pulled away, but still kept a firm hold on Sam. No doubt David had gotten suspicious, after all no secrets were hid amongst them. Their minds were open to each other. He knew, David knew, he felt him dive into his mind the moment they met up after his bumping into the Emerson child.

_The beach._

_Alone?_

_Marko sighed. No, with Sam._

_I forbid you to kill him, Marko. Micheal is already half way to becoming one of us and I don't think having his brother missing or found dead would help the situation when he finds out what we are. Another time perhaps._

David left him alone then. Marko couldn't help but curse quietly. Now he had a mind at killing Micheal for being the one to get in his way of drinking that sweet blood, every last bit. A taste would be okay. A cry escaped Sam when Marko bit into his flesh, not enough to cause the damage he very much wanted to do. Despite his cries of pain and protest, the teen didn't do anything as he continued to feed off him. He was still in his trance, and would be, until Marko decided otherwise. Three more gulps, with a lot of effort, he pulled away and then licked the wound. He repeatedly did it until it healed other, leaving no evidence at what he had done. Others would know, others like him, telling them he was already taken. And now Sam was, Marko didn't just do it for that, he did it because he wanted to dim the hunger a little, and he also did it to mark him. When you marked a human it meant you were going to do two things. Turn them at some point or kill them at some point. The second being with Marko, but it was there for others to see if they ever happened to see him as something to eat. All in all, Sam was safe from the others vampire that resided just outside of Santa Carla, and who passed through it. However, he wasn't from Marko.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

The heat was what woke him up. He could feel droplets of sweat running down his chest and forehead, and could feel the beads of it on his lips. Sam felt ill. Everything was in complete darkness, all but the small source of light coming from the alarm clock on the bedside cabinet. Eyes went towards it and a groan filled in the silence of the room. Four am. A headache came to Sam, and with another groan, his hands came to his head. Even in the dark, he could feel everything spinning, and it made him feel sick. Mike was going to kill him when he found out that he hadn't arrived in until two. Sam blinked. He wasn't even sure if Mike was back. Surely he would have woken up from the sound of Marko speeding towards the house. It had woken his mom up, and she hadn't been too happy, even more when she found him sat behind Marko, who started speeding in circles in front of the porch.

Yeah, that really didn't help the situation when he did that. Sam knew Marko did it deliberately as well. She was getting up already, the light coming in from the front bedroom said that, but Marko had to do it, even when Sam told him to stop. She came outside then, and after a few minutes, Marko finally stopped fooling around.

It was embarrassing more than anything, especially when she said the words he prayed she wouldn't say_. Samuel Emerson, you should have been in bed at ten._ Marko had grinned, and in attempt to hide it, brought his fist to his mouth. Lucy looked towards him then, and even though both saw the slight anger in her eyes, she smiled at him instead. It was no surprise to Sam. He knew she wouldn't have shouted at Marko like most people's parent would have done. He didn't have to worry about her saying thing like, you're an irresponsible teen, what are you doing with my son. Lucy couldn't say a bad thing about anyone, despite whether she hated them or not.

It got more embarrassing when she began to ramble on about how nice it was to see him with a new friend, and that he spent far too much time reading comics and isolating himself from people. Then she went on about how she worried for him being in a place like Santa Carla, and that ... She had stopped mid sentence and had peered at Marko further.  
She knew him, and Sam had blinked at her words. Marko's grin intensified and Sam saw the innocent look increase on his face. He didn't like it, but it fooled Lucy. Apparently he was one of the boys who went into the video store, and the other night she had been working. It was Sam's turn to be confused. Working?

Lucy had looked at him with surprise. Did she not tell him and Michael she had gotten a job a few nights back at the video store on the boardwalk? Not that Sam could remember. A small snicker had left Marko when Lucy, in a soft way, scolded him. She had, but he hadn't listened. Sam had the decency to look apologetic. She presumed talking to Marko, who, Sam could tell, was trying not to laugh. That grin stayed on his lips, and amusement shone in his eye when he would nod now and then to something Lucy would say. Sam moved off the bike, and silently wished Marko would go. It was embarrassing. As if reading his mind, he made an excuse, nodded at Lucy, grinned wider at Sam, and then sped away.

Lucy had turned towards him and had said what a nice boy he was. Sam didn't agree. Nice was the least thing he would call Marko. Okay, he didn't know him, but it was obvious he was not a nice person. That vibe that came off him, unnerved the teen, and probably others too.

The pounding increased in his head, and the painful memory disappeared. Truth was, Sam couldn't remember much, only being on the back of Marko's bike as they sped to his, and himself and Marko sitting on a bench at the boardwalk. Other than that, it was blank, nothing at all. Things were missing and he was confused as to why he couldn't remember anything. The thumping in his head got worse and worse, and more sweat poured down his face. He felt really bad. Pushing the blankets off himself, he put his hand to his head, and sped towards the bathroom, making it just in time to the toilet, as he violently threw up. The spinning got worse, the headache banged violently against his skull, and bright flashes formed in his eyes. It wasn't a headache. Sam was suffering from a migraine.

''Sam''

He knew the voice, but couldn't respond. The spinning suddenly dimmed, but the migraine didn't. He could faintly hear the sound of feet moving towards him, and it hurt to hear those movements. Hands gripped the sides of the toilet seat, and Sam was sick some more. He didn't look at Micheal when he came to a stand next to him. He wanted to tell him to get out.

''For god sakes, Sam, you're drunk.''

''I'm not drunk'' Sam managed to say in between being sick.

''Really, then why do you reek of it? Marko told me you guys had a drink at the beach, and, that you were slightly drunk. Drunk isn't the word.''

Wiping his mouth, Sam leaned against the wall. ''I am not drunk, Mike. I haven't even had a drink in my life and I didn't last night. Besides, mom would have said something. She got up when I came back, embarrassed me completely.'' Sam looked at Micheal with a small worried look. ''You don't look so good, Mike''

''I feel a little ill, that's all'' He muttered, and then shook his head. ''It's gone four, Sam. What time did you get back?''

''Two hours ago,'' Sam answered, ignoring the look on his brother's face. ''I can't remember much from last night. My brain's all fuzzy. All I remember is being at the boardwalk with Marko and riding on the back of his bike. The rest is blank.''

''Weird, because I can't seem to remem...'' Micheal shook his head. ''It's because you've been drinking. Drink does that, Sammy. God, I knew I shouldn't have left you with him. I don't why I went with them, there's something wro... stay away from Marko and the others.''

''I didn't even want him to stay with me, Mike'' Sam retorted. ''But he did. And secondly for the last time, I haven't been drinking, and thirdly if I want to hang around with Marko, I will.''

''Stop acting like a grown up, Sam, because you're not,'' Micheal said with a shake of the head. I don't like any of them, but I don't like that Marko. You reek of booze, Sam. If you haven't been drinking then explain why it's all over you''

Bringing his shirt to his nose, Sam breathed in deeply, and then pulled a face. He might not have ever drunk in his life, but he knew what alcohol smelt like. Micheal was right, it was all over him. He reeked of it. Had he and Marko being drinking? He couldn't remember. The only thing he could remember was him and Marko eating on the boardwalk, and then leaving the boardwalk. Surely, they did something else? Sam was with him for over four hours.

''I don't why it's on me, but I haven't been drinking.'' Sam frowned. ''Marko's lying. I don't know why he said that. I think I would know if I've been drin...'' Sam stopped. He couldn't remember much. What was going on?

* * *

"Hey, check this out," Paul laughed and gave Marko a small slap on the shoulder before he snuck up behind some girl. She was leaning on a booth that sold hot dogs and too busy flirting with the man running it to notice Paul creeping up behind her. Paul grabbed the end of her dress and flipped it up, giving everyone who was paying attention a look at the girl's thin underwear.  
The girl spun around and slapped Paul, but he just laughed it off and ran back to Marko before she could do anymore damage. The two blonds howled with booming laughter and held their stomachs as they walked away from the shrieking girl and the stunned hot dog seller.

"What in all of hell possessed you do that?" Marko asked in between laughs with tears forming at his eyes

"Uh, hello! Seventeen-year-old male! Attractive female with short dress!" Paul called as it were obvious, which it kinda was.

Marko laughed, though he hadn't found the girl to be very attractive, he found the joke and reasoning behind it hilarious.

The boys stopped their laughter and walking a few moments before Marko declared "I'm hungry."

"Me too. That girl looked tasty," Paul purred and Marko could hear his friend's voice deepen slightly.

"No, I'm mean actual _food_-wise, Mr. Cannibal," Marko laughed. Vampires didn't necessarily _have_ to eat food, but not all human instincts are immediately dropped after being changed.

"But that type of food requires _money_, Mr. Jobless," Paul said, continuing the little joke.

"Or a _distraction_, Mr. Narrow-minded."

oo

"Yo! Hey you!" Several people turned around to see a blond, messy-haired teen in a black jacket running to catch up with a mid-twenties man with a bag of popcorn.

"Me?" The man asked.

"Yeah you! Are you Mack Gracey?" The blond-haired boy shouted, even though he was right in front of the man.

"Uh, it's certainly none of your business," the man said with a stuck-up voice. "But no, that's not my name."

"You sure about that? 'Cause I have other sources telling me that's your name," Paul sang as though he were insane.

"Well your _sources_ are lying, kid."

Paul rolled his eyes. "You know a Star Burtsen?"

"_No_! Now leave me alone!" The man snapped. "I'm busy!"

_Stuffing your face with popcorn does not count as being busy_! Paul thought with a roll of his eyes. "You lying to me? I don't like it when people lie to me," he said with a sick grin.

"Go find someone else to harass you little repeat offender!"

"You're the guy that's been messing with my girl, aren't you!" Paul barked, shoving the man so his popcorn fell.

"You little bastard! I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

"You lying piece of shit!" Paul jumped on the man and as fists were thrown and stomachs were kicked, everyone paid attention to the fight, never noticing a teen with curly,long, blond hair and a hazardously bright jacket ran out from an unattended booth (where the man running it had left to get a better look at the fight) with an arm full of popcorn, pretzels, pizza, cotton candy and sodas.

oo

"Yeah, and then this guy had the nerve to call me a 'repeat offender' and then I accused him of 'messing with my girl' and then I tackled him and we were _off_!" Paul laughed as he recited the story.

Marko laughed along, though he was a bit annoyed. He was right there to watch the whole thing go down and hell, he had even made the plan up himself! Lucky Paul was too busy laughing to take a peak into his thoughts, but, hey, that was Paul for you.

Marko finished his forced laughter and tossed his shoulder in the direction of an empty table. The two took a seat and in moments, three slices of pizza were completely gone, one and half sodas were downed and an empty bad of popcorn lay on the ground beside them. Vampires weren't exactly slow eaters.

"We should slow down," Paul murmured. "We don't wanna attract attention," he looked sideways and Marko saw that there were a few boys who kept glancing over their shoulders at them across the boardwalk.

"Yeah," Marko agreed. He leaned back in his seat and tossed a piece of popcorn up in the air and caught it in his mouth.

They were both silent for a few moments, but Paul broke the silence.

"Do you think Star is really gonna be able to kill Micheal?"

Marko had been expecting this question sooner or later, so it didn't catch him too off-guard. "Nah, she likes him too much for David to make her. And she has too much of a grip on her humanity to feed."

"Oh," Paul said. Marko couldn't tell if Paul was relieved or disappointed.

"Plus Laddie," Marko murmured and continued when Paul looked at him funny. "If Star feeds, she won't be able to prevent Laddie from doing it. She won't have enough humanity to keep him from doing it. And Laddie will be too scared to live without her, so he'll just follow." To be honest, Marko knew this question would come sooner or later, so he had time to practice his answer.

All Paul said again was "Oh," and Marko could almost hear some relief in his brother's voice. Laddie had too much innocence to ever kill anybody and Paul fretted that once Laddie made his first kill in a few years, Laddie would lose his innocence. Paul loved Laddie, Marko knew, but somehow he loved him enough to put Laddie's happiness in front of his own. Paul wanted Laddie to have a better life than killing people and hiding in the shadows; he wanted Laddie to get out of that life, even if Laddie would have to leave their group. Marko didn't know why. He loved being a vampire and the squeals of his victims; innocence was over-rated.

However, Paul's next question shocked Marko.

"How are you gonna eat Sam if Max likes his mom?"

No practice answer here. "I don't give a shit of Max's like for Lucinda or whatever the hell her name is," Marko said, catching another piece of popcorn. "It's his fault. He shouldn't have picked a lady with a son that smells so good." _And tastes good too,_ he thought.

Paul chuckled and ripped into a pretzel with his teeth.

"I don't see why we need a mom anyway," Marko said coldly. He wasn't mad at Paul, just at the idea. He liked his family just the way it was. Bringing more people into it would just set everything off balance.

"I dunno," Paul murmured. "A mother might be sorta nice," he sighed.

Marko knew better than to tease his friend. Paul had hated his mother, one of the reasons he changed was so that he would never see her again, but Marko knew that Paul had always envied the little children whose mothers held their hands on the boardwalk and he wanted to feel what it would be like to have someone so protective of him (other than his brothers) and constantly checking up on him and making sure he was okay. Why Paul thought that he needed a mother for that or even thought that Lucy would give two shits about any of them was beyond Marko.

"Our _family_ is fine the way it is," Marko growled. "I didn't even want you to join at first," he said, but lightened it with a forced laugh. "Seven is enough. Eight if you count Thorn."

Paul laughed even though nothing was really funny. "I dunno," he started with again. "She seems nice." When Marko didn't reply, Paul continued, "Sam and Micheal may be nice to have as brothers. If they weren't already set up to be killed."

"I suppose I wouldn't mind them," Marko said, swishing some pop around in his mouth as he chose his next words carefully. "Laddie seemed to take a liking to Micheal."

They were both quiet until Paul spoke with another surprising question.

"Why do you want to eat Sam so much? I mean, like what makes him different? You've never seemed so set on killing anyone before."

Marko was glad he hadn't had anything in his mouth for the question was so...unexpected that he would have choked. What was he need to kill Sam? Did he even know? Was it to piss Max off? No, that wasn't it. He may not like Max, but he certainly didn't want to get in his the olders way for no reason. Because Sam smelt so good? Well, yes, Marko wanted to kill him because of that, but that wasn't the reason for the need to be so strong. Because he didn't want a new brother? He wouldn't exactly die if Sam became his brother.

"Because it'll piss Max off," Marko said simply, leaning back in his chair, not letting his confusion reach his face. Marko's head was empty until Paul's voice floated in.

_'Are you aware that vampires can read each others mind?'_

Marko sneered. "Yes, I'm aware that you can read my mind!" He had actually forgotten about that for the time.

"Whoa!" Paul held his hands up in defence. "I was just messing with you there!" Paul reached over and placed his hand on top of Marko's, earning a confused look from his brother. "Marko," he said in a soft, very serious, and almost concerned voice. "Are you on your period? Do you have to go talk to Star about these mood swings?"

Marko snatched his hand away and stood up so quick, his chair fell over. "Fuck you, Paul!" He barked. He was suddenly not in the mood for his brother's antics. Why did Paul have to ask such hard questions?

Paul threw his hands up in defence again. "It's not my fault that you don't know why you're so crazy on Sam's blood! It was just a question!"

Paul was right. It wasn't his fault Marko was confused; however, it _was_ Paul's fault that Marko now knew he was confused.

Marko made a move to over-turn the table, but he stopped, that would cause too much attention. He snarled at Paul once more and then ran off at a speed where he was a blur to everyone who may catch a glimpse of blond hair and a freakishly colorful jacket.

He ran past everything. The man Paul had fought (who now sported a black eye, a split lip and chipped tooth), the girl whose skirt had been flipped up and the hot dog seller (who were making out with each other) and ran right off the boardwalk and away from everything. He was breathing heavily and the snarl never left his face, even though it wasn't directed at anybody.

Why was he so mad at Paul? Or Paul's question? Why did it even matter _why_ he wanted to kill Sam? He was just a meal. But why couldn't Marko answer without lying? Why did Paul care? Why did Marko care why Paul cared? Why were his feet wet?

Marko looked down to see that the water had drifted up more and now lapped against his boots, sinking through to his toes. Oh. Wait, when did he reach the ocean?

Marko sighed. He didn't like these thoughts. He toyed with people and made them confused and now it seems that he was confused because he made others confused. That was confusing.

Marko sighed again. These thoughts were not important, so he wouldn't think about them. He would go back to Paul, suck it up and apologize (which he hated to do) and they could continue their good night.

He took one more look at the ocean (which was still wetting his boots) and walked back towards the boardwalk slowly. He closed his eyes; there was nothing in the sand, he couldn't trip; no one was on the beach, he couldn't be a victim by anyone (though it would just annoy Marko and lead to that person's funeral); there were no trees or anything, he couldn't run into anything. The sun was hours from coming up, he shouldn't be tired, but closing his eyes felt so good, so relaxing. The only thing he could hear was his own breathing and the water splashing on the shore behind him.

As he came closer, the lights from the boardwalk flashed in front of his closed eyes and the sounds of rides whizzing and music filled his ears. He opened his eyes to the familiar sights and relaxed more.

He almost mentally called for Paul, but he wanted to just be alone a few moments longer since he was on a more secluded part of the boardwalk.

However, that was not to happen.

"Marko!" The curly-haired blond turned to see a shirt was colors as bright as the rides on the boardwalk race towards him. "Marko!" The person yelled again.

"Sam?" Marko murmured. It was him. The teen raced towards Marko with anger in his eyes and an energy Marko didn't think the boy had. Did Sam know what had happened? He couldn't. Marko made sure to wipe his mind.

But as Sam raced closer, Marko could see the fist drawn back, he could see it coming, and even though he could have stopped the hit, Marko let Sam hit him square in the mouth.


	4. Chapter 4

I want to apologise for this not being updated in some time. But thank you to all who have reviewed, and for the patient wait. It's appreciated.

Also, I noticed the last chapters are rather bad with grammar, so they will be checked through at sometime.

* * *

Marko retained himself from killing Sam right there on the spot. Blood dribbled down his chin, and he stared into Sam's furious eyes. Did he know what had happened? Marko delved into his mind, feeling relieved when there was no trace of what had gone on between them at the beach in his memory. Something had annoyed the teen. Sam was one scared cat, so it did come of a surprise to Marko to have his fist smacking him hard in the face.

"A nice way to greet a friend, Sam," Marko wiped away the blood with the sleeve of his jacket.

His hand suddenly grabbed Sam's fist when it struck towards him again. ''Once, I'll let it pass. Twice...if you succeed, you won't like my reaction. If you hit me again, Sam, I can't be responsible for my actions.''

''We're not friends, and you're a liar,'' Sam's face darkened and he pushed Marko. ''What did you tell my brother?''

Without thinking, Marko grabbed Sam by the arm, and with irritation, dragged him away from prying eyes. So this was what had pissed him off? Marko underestimated the teen. He caught onto things quick so it seemed. He had thought the idea had worked quite well. It seemed he was wrong. It should have run smoothly, and Sam shouldn't have cottoned on, but Marko was rather getting rusty, or underestimating him. It was either one. Drink was the best idea he had. Sure, he had wiped his memory clean, but there had to be an explanation on why there were things missing in the teen's memory. Marko knew if he did nothing, Sam would have looked for a reason why he couldn't remember half of the night with Marko. What had gone wrong? Nothing, Marko's actions had been stupid. Underestimation, that's all it was.

With every passing second, he could feel the rage rising from him, and he knew he had to play the game carefully. He was treading on broken glass right about at that moment. It shouldn't have been that hard. All Marko had to do was make Sam forget his worries, but then he knew he'd still question and be confused with why his memory was fuzzy, not to mention Marko knew making humans forget things could be dangerous at the best of times. There was always the risk of them remembering, or it could fuck their minds up. That was not his intentions for either.

Without meaning to, he couldn't help but let a grin slap its way onto his face. So, there was a fighter side in the teen. Marko found it amusing more than anything. The kid could give one hell of a punch he'd admit, but it was obvious he was the type to rarely defend himself in any given situation. Still, Marko couldn't say he didn't deserve it. Far from it. The first one he'd easily let slip by, but he knew if Sam tried again, the beast would stalk to the surface. Better to solve things calmly, as at the moment, he had no wish to kill Sam just yet.

"Liar," Sam accused darkly. ''Liar.''

"So you've said," Marko answered and dragged Sam down the steps towards the beach. "Next time, you could rather talk instead of using fists."

"Talk," Sam said. "I know you're a liar Marko. I know, so why should I bother talking to you? What the hell is your problem? Just because I'm some kid in your eyes, doesn't mean I'll let things like that slide. I want to know why you told my brother we drank, and why I can't remember things. And I want the _truth_, I know I never drank. The thought of it repulses me. I'm no drinker, so there is no way I drank last night with you. Why did you lie, huh? What was so important for you to do that?"

Sam yanked his arm from Marko's grip. "Answer me!"

"Sam." Marko grinned lightly, but his eyes told a different story. "Calm down, will you? There's no point in getting all snappy with me, it will do nothing but piss me off."

Before Sam could blink, Marko had his hand around his throat, lightly, but the fear still pounded in his veins. He knew he should have gone home when Michael went with the others, or the moment Marko offered to stay with him. He should have zoomed off into the crowd, gone back to the comic store, and spent hours in there, looking at all the beloved comics he couldn't afford. He had done none of these things, but hung around with a boy he knew nothing about, who, by the predicament he was in, could very well be some psycho. Sam was stupid, and the way he felt, he hated Marko, he hated Michael for leaving him, and he hated Santa Carla all together. Sam shut down, his whole body slacked, and he just stared at Marko. Why should he show anything? Sam did nothing but wait for what Marko was going to do. The teen was frightened, but he tried not to show it. He still wanted to know why Marko said they had been drinking, why it was all over him. It was obvious to Sam; Marko was hiding something. He could feel the confusion come with his fear. Why could he not remember anything? What had gone? The frustration came, the frustration of not having answers, of being ignored and being treated like some kid.

The hand was removed from around his throat after some seconds, and Marko took a step back. "I told you, my temper can get the better of me."

"Or you're just one completely crazy son of a bitch." Sam spat. "You know what, forget it. I don't care why you made up a lie, why you somehow made me forget things." Sam watched Marko's shoulder tense up a little. "Ah, that's what you're hiding. Well, at least I know now it was you. Fine, I can see you won't tell me anything. I might anger you. But stay the hell away from me."

"Sam," Marko took a step forward. "Aren't you being stupid?"

"You're a crazy asshole," Sam shook his head. "I don't get caught up in stuff like that. I like comics, I'm...I'm scared of the dark, and I'm not one to get caught up in, or with, dangerous people. Stay away from me."

Sam ran then, and Marko watched him go with a small grin. He was underestimating the teen far too much. What was he going to do now?

"Damn it," Marko muttered after several minutes.

With another mutter he made his way back onto the boardwalk. Sam was a kid, full of innocence, easily frightened, but he was smart, and he caught onto things quick. Marko should have seen it coming, but the shit that had been going on in their 'family' was making him easily distracted to say the least. He thought back to Paul's question. Marko wanted to kill Sam, and he wanted to because of his blood, his sweet, thick, blood that called to him. But he was holding out and he didn't know why. Sure, he was playing his games a little, but there was more to it. He could have killed Sam now, but he never. Instead, he let him run off, watched him go without chasing.

Marko was pretty pissed. A new brother had come into the pack, and it was all just so Max could get at Michael's mother. He was more than annoyed. It was fine with how they were, and now, now there was another one with them. First Laddie and Star had joined them, one who refused to feed time and time again, and the other who was far too young, and now Michael. Michael who thorned after Star, chased her around like some lost puppy. Marko didn't like the way things were going. He liked Michael, but there was something wrong with the whole thing. How was he supposed to kill Sam? He knew if he did that, Max's plans could very well go down the drain. Wait until Lucy become a vampire, then get Sam? No, Max wanted Sam and Michael to become full vampires before he had his wicked ways with Lucy, before he changed her. Marko knew she'd be stuck if Sam and Michael fully turned and she'd have no choice to turn. But how was he going to have Sam?

_"A long night ahead of us."_

A blink came, and he sighed when his eyes sought out Paul.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. David plans to pull Michael into the gang tomorrow."

"Oh." Marko lit up a joint and jumped up on the railing. "Think he'll do it?"

Paul frowned. "For once, I don't know. He's unpredictable. So...I saw what Sam did"

Marko said nothing, and Paul grew curious.

"What went down?"

"My plan bit me in the ass." Marko handed the joint to Paul. "The kid's smart, and I underestimated him."

"He knows?"

"Would I be sitting here if he did? No, he doesn't, but he knows I lied about the drinking, and he knows I somehow made him forget."

"Shit" Paul sat on the railing. "Things ain't going good lately. Who said life was good to the full extent for us?"

"How you make it" Marko said and nicked the joint back off Paul. "Where's Michael?"

"Ain't been here tonight," Paul sighed. "I'm wondering if he knows yet."

"No, I doubt it. I think he'd be here if he did." Marko paused shortly and then suddenly grinned. "David wants us, looks like we're going to_...initiate_ Mrs. Emerson_."_

* * *

Lucy stepped out of the video store and into the night, squinting to get used to the sudden change in light. Working at the store wasn't having her desired effect. Granted it brought in money and she was meeting new people in her new job, but she never got to see Max. Maybe she could have her hours switched? It would be a possibility to have the night shift, that way she'd see Max and be at home with Michael, Sam, and her father during the day. Lord knows how she worried when all three of them were home alone.

Speaking of her three boys, if she didn't get moving soon, she wouldn't see them at all until tomorrow. She dug in her bag for the keys and heard the revving of a motorcycle. Michael?

Lucy lifted her head, only to see several boys zooming towards her, laughing and hollering widly. They looked familiar, more than just faces from the boardwalk. They certainly didn't look like the kind to come into the video store to rent a movie. Though stealing a movie was certainly possible.

She shook her head. She had never met the boys and she wouldn't give them a bad reputation before even speaking to them.

She finally took the time to notice that the boys were riding dangerously past her. No, riding dangerously _around_ her. The one...two...three...four... The four boys rode in a circle around her, laughing and shouting and enclosing in.

'_They're just boys having some fun,_' Lucy thought, trying to slow her breathing. '_Let them play their game and they'll be on their way_.' She smiled good naturedly, hoping that they would leave her alone if they saw she wasn't being bothered by them.

Her, I'm-sure-they'll-leave-me-alone-any-minute-now, attitude began to fade as they didn't leave, but only began to scream and yell at her. Not screams or yells that threatened her or actually even said anything. They were just making loud noises. Lucy's hopeful attitude completely disappeared when one of the boys with tangled blond hair snatched at her purse. Lucy looked up in time to see the next boy ride past and she held his gaze. She was positive she knew this one. Long, curly blond hair with a jacket with so many patches and colors. It reminded her of...

Sam! That's where she knew this boy! Lucy shrieked as the boys came closer. She wasn't so sure these boys would be leaving anytime soon.

One of them snatched at her purse again and she jumped back at the thought of having her feet ran over.

They boys came in closer, still screaming nothing but incohorent words, and Lucy felt like she was on the verge of tears. She probably would have broken down in the middle of the circle if the boys hadn't started to leave when they did.

Despite that the boys were no more than a few yards away riding off and the motors were still clear in her ears, Lucy managed to hear a car door slam. She looked up to see Max walking from a red car towards her with a warm welcoming smile.

"Are you alright?" He asked. What a gentleman.

"I'm glad to see you," Lucy responded, her voice slightly cracking.

"This is not working out the way I planned." Max walked toward her until he stood directly in front of her and Lucy felt her heart sink and her stomach twist. This wasn't what he wanted? Did she do something wrong? What did he plan? Why wasn't he happy? Was he going to fire her? Did he think she couldn't handle the job after what he had just seen?

"What?" She asked and her voice must have shown how upset she was because his answer was quick and reassuring

"I never get to see you." Lucy felt a smile tug at her lips and she didn't feel so sick anymore. "Which of course is why I hired you." Lucy felt like screaming like a teenage girl getting asked to prom by the star quaterback. "What about dinner tomorrow night?"

Lucy could only force herself to remember to breathe as she answered. "Sure."


End file.
